Sept. 5, 2013

Hyannis Port, Hyannis, Coast Guard Academy, Eagle, Nautilus, Mystic Pizza

Before leaving the campground on Cape Cod we took a quick trip over to Hyannis and Hyannis Port to see what the deal was.  Many expensive homes, narrow streets, yacht clubs, private beaches.  Good to see once but not my style.

 

 

From Cape Cod to to Rhode Island and Burlingame State Park.  Largest campground we have ever seen.  755 camp sites split in to several loops.  Each with fire ring and table and LOTS of space for each site.  Many, if not most sites could hold five or six tents and a couple of cars.  Sites are level and open but with enough brush between sites that it doesn’t feel like a camping city.  Rustic camping with only a few restroom buildings supplemented with port-a-potties.  No problem for us.

We parked the carbus and drove to Connecticut to see the Coast Guard Academy.  Typical small college with lots of athletic fields (seems to be a thing with service academies).  From the Academy a few miles to see the Eagle, Americas tall ship and training vessel for the CG cadets.  Got to walk all over the deck and spoke with several crew members.

Had to hurry on to allow time to visit the Submarine Museum.  Home of the Nautalus, first nuclear powered submarine. 

The ship is now a museum in itself.  Self-guided audio tour down into and through the front half of the sub which housed living quarters and command and control sections.  Very interesting.  Actual thing is nothing like impression given by movies and TV.  The inside of a sub is very cramped (the bunks are 6’ long however)

and every available cubic inch is used in some way.

Forward torpedo room.

Officers mess. One of the more roomy areas.  There were eleven officers.  Looks like one guy either had to stand or was on duty .

  Hard to describe how condensed and compressed everything is.  

 

The actual Submarine Museum is very well done.  History, science, evolvement, personal stories, and much more presented in an interesting and captivating way.  Had to rush through a bit because of impending closing but would go back if chance arose. 

Fun picture.  Rings show circumference of largest and smallest navy submarines now in service.

 

Return to campground involved going near Mystic, CT and it was close to dinner time so why not?  We went into the quaint, picturesque town and headed for Mystic Pizza.  There really is one.  We ordered a pizza, walked around town while it was being made, picked it up, and drove back to the carbus.  Pizza was tasty.  Over priced but good.  Been there, done that.

Clouds over eastern Cape Cod just before sunset.